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This Thursday in Paris, the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator is launched, aiming to boost vaccine production in Africa. The initiative starts with one billion dollars left over from the fight against COVID-19. The launch is part of a global vaccine forum organized by the French state, the Vaccine Alliance (GAVI), and the African Union.
The African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator, launched today in Paris, is hosted by the French state, GAVI, and the African Union, featuring the presence of the Presidents of Senegal, Ghana, Rwanda, and Botswana, the director of the World Health Organization, banks, and vaccine manufacturers already operating in Africa.
The goal is to make Africa self-sufficient in vaccine production at a time when the continent produces only 2% of the vaccines it uses. One billion dollars (930 million euros) leftover from the fight against COVID-19 will be allocated to this Accelerator to stimulate vaccine production in Africa, stated José Manuel Durão Barroso, president of the Vaccine Alliance, to the Lusa news agency.
“We are launching this accelerator for vaccine manufacturing in Africa, with our essential one billion dollars mechanism, which will then allow for other donors and the building of these capacities according to the general quality rules necessary for vaccine development.”
Four years ago, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the stark inequality in vaccine access on the African continent. Thus, manufacturing vaccines globally, particularly in Africa, is seen as a response to future epidemics.
“During the pandemic, there was a problem: unlike other continents such as Europe, America, and Asia, Africa did not have the capacity to produce vaccines, and we want to ensure that in the next pandemic there will be that capacity in Africa,” added Durão Barroso.
Regarding the diseases for which these vaccines will be produced in Africa, Durão Barroso mentioned that they include known infectious diseases, such as smallpox, measles, yellow fever, cholera, malaria, and Ebola.
In addition to launching the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator, the event also aims to raise funding for GAVI to support and sustain immunization from 2026 to 2030. According to Reuters, the Vaccine Alliance will request about $11.9 billion from governments and foundations.
The former Portuguese Prime Minister and former President of the European Commission noted that “GAVI is an organization that has been around for 25 years and has vaccinated a billion children.” The France Presse agency adds that the Alliance aims to vaccinate another billion children by 2030.
The Vaccine Alliance intends to extend the malaria vaccination program, which started this year in Cameroon, and to accelerate measles vaccination campaigns, for example, which were delayed due to COVID-19. In the coming years, the goal is also to expand vaccination campaigns against smallpox and dengue.
